Remember UFC’s knockout artist Shane Carwin? ‘The Engineer’ was a heavyweight wrecking ball that came into the UFC on quite a roll. Carwin also held the interim heavyweight title for a time under Dana White’s eye. However, the Colorado native went on a bad road due to his health and paying his bills, even after retirement. Ex-UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub recently shed some light on it.
Carwin had a reputation for being a first-frame finisher, much akin to interim champ Tom Aspinall on his rise to fame. The UFC antitrust case from Ex-UFC stars Cung Le et al (Case No. 2:15-cv-01045-RFB-BNW) saw numerous pay packages/fighter compensations and even behind-the-scenes tidbits unsealed. Brendan Schaub shed light on the current situation of Brock Lesnar’s previous opponent.
You know, Shane Carwin is like a brother man, …love that dude to death. Now he’s suffering you know, he recently came out — you know, in this anti-trust lawsuit. One of the smartest guys in combat sports when he fought Brock Lesnar…You know Shane has the precursors of where he has concussions, that’s the roll of the dice man…He can’t tie his own shoes…And Shane’s struggling, man. That’s my main training partner…
Brendan Schaub on his ‘Thiccc Boy’ Podcast (@ThicccBoy)| Episode 406
Adding to the laundry list of Dana White and Co. (TKO), Case No. 2:15-cv-01045-RFB-BNW recently also saw Hall of Famer Wanderlei Silva open up about CTE and bankruptcy. Shane Carwin’s proposals come from the same fold as Silva’s. Jon Jones talked about concussion culture from sparring also recently acted as the prelude to this conversation.
Brendan Schaub talks about former UFC interim Heavyweight Shane Carwin’s current state
“He can’t tie his own shoes” pic.twitter.com/vBtCkC9Fjf
— Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) October 15, 2024
However, old-era standouts like Carwin are mostly in the smacking middle of the trouble for it. The “Le vs. Zuffa” Class Action Anti-trust sees many old fighters bound by legal waivers for lower overall compensations. Only 10% of the projected $215m left over after lawyers take their cut goes to 2017-2020 fighters. Hence, many are left to dry. Schaub pleads with UFC brass to help Carwin out on the matter.
Brendan Schaub calls out UFC to help Shane Carwin
Dana White recently (and surprisingly) announced a $25,000 plus giveaway, including Neymar and Paul Skene’s collectibles. With high-stake pay-per-views and the lavish live gate it produces, White and Co. have the clear dough to spare. That is not even counting his millions of exploits in gambling, forming a $750 million slapping league with the Nevada Athletic Commission, or Nitrocross and premier bullfights.
Despite his array of feuds, to White’s credit, he does help and reach out to fighters in trouble. Brendan Schaub says he did the same for Carwin, bringing him to APEX. However, things were not meant to be. Shane Carwin scored 4-2 (12-2 MMA) in six fights with the promotion.
Carwin’s UFC start was so strong that he was offered the interim belt after three fights and all first-round finishes. However, he failed to unify the belts, losing to Brock Lesnar at UFC 116 in 2011. Now that Carwin is struggling to make ends meet due to his CTE, Brendan Schaub requests UFC to do something.
Bring up what Shane said: ‘Despite having a degree in engineering from Colorado School of Mines, I have been unable to maintain adequate focus to hold down my engineering job. I face serious challenges,’ meaning, a former world champ, ‘I face serious challenges in meeting basic everyday expenses for food and shelter…How do you not go ‘I get it, dude. Boom — 10 to 15 million (dollars) for your troubles?’ Can we be human for a fu*king second? This guy put his life on the line. I’ve seen it, dude…
Brendan Schaub further said
Declaration of Shane Carwin pic.twitter.com/9HwA79M4M8
— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) October 8, 2024
Schaub said the UFC wanted him to quit his job for better optics in their full ‘Countdown’ Vlog series. But the heavyweight fighter refused, despite offers for salary and better PPV points. Such was the condition of Carwin, who needed the money for insurance and family. Now that he is at the wrong end of CTE, Schaub says brass can help with a few “pennies to change” millions they have.
